Methods and apparatus for a swing training aid

ABSTRACT

A swing training aid according to various aspects of the present technology may comprise batting glove having a securing strap connected on a first end to a wrist portion of the batting glove. The securing strap is configured to move between an unconnected position and a connected position wherein the securing strap is secured to a backside of the batting glove to hold the fingers in a gripping position. The securing strap may be configured to be removably connected on a second end to one or more connectors located on the backside of the glove.

BACKGROUND OF THE TECHNOLOGY

There are many aids available to help players of all abilities improvetheir swing. Some of these aids are directed towards teaching a playerto swing along a constant plane, keeping their elbows close to theirbodies, or any other of a host of factors that may impact the power andconsistency of the swinging motion. Many aids directed towards teachinga compact swing are unable to address a common fault found in players ofall ages and skill level, namely the early release of the bat during theswing. This issue is readily apparent during a swing's follow throughafter the player lets go of the bat with their top hand. The remaininghand holding the bat then is able to move farther away from the bodycreating a longer follow through motion. If the top hand is released atthe end of the main swinging motion and prior to the initiation of thefollow through, then there may be little impact on the swing. If,however, the top hand is released prior to the end of the main swingingmotion, then the player will suffer a significant loss of power sincethe swing is only being performed with a single hand and arm. In themost significant examples of this motion, a player may actually beginreleasing the bat during the most crucial point of the swing resultingin a loss of bat speed and power in the middle of the hitting zone.

SUMMARY OF THE TECHNOLOGY

A swing training aid according to various aspects of the presenttechnology may comprise batting glove having a securing strap connectedon a first end to a wrist portion of the batting glove. The securingstrap is configured to move between an unconnected position and aconnected position wherein the securing strap is secured to a backsideof the batting glove to hold the fingers in a gripping position. Thesecuring strap may be configured to be removably connected on a secondend to one or more connectors located on the backside of the glove.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete understanding of the present technology may be derivedby referring to the detailed description and claims when considered inconnection with the following illustrative figures. In the followingfigures, like reference numbers refer to similar elements and stepsthroughout the figures.

FIG. 1 representatively illustrate a top view of a swing training glovein accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present technology;

FIG. 2A representatively illustrates a palm view of the swing trainingglove showing an underside of a securing strap in accordance with anexemplary embodiment of the present technology;

FIG. 2B representatively illustrates a palm view of the swing trainingglove showing a top side of the securing strap in accordance with anexemplary embodiment of the present technology;

FIG. 3A representatively illustrates a top surface of the swing trainingglove positioned on a user's hand in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment of the present technology;

FIG. 3B representatively illustrates a top surface of an alternativeembodiment of the swing training glove in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment of the present technology;

FIG. 4 representatively illustrates a palm view of the swing trainingglove positioned on a user's hand in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment of the present technology;

FIG. 5 representatively illustrates a side view of the swing trainingaid with the securing strap positioned over the fingers in accordancewith an exemplary embodiment of the present technology;

FIG. 6 representatively illustrates a palm side view of the swingtraining aid gripping a bat with the securing strap positioned over thefingers in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the presenttechnology; and

FIG. 7 representatively illustrates a top view of the swing training aidgripping a bat with the securing strap positioned over the fingers inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present technology.

Elements and steps in the figures are illustrated for simplicity andclarity and have not necessarily been rendered according to anyparticular sequence. For example, steps that may be performedconcurrently or in a different order are illustrated in the figures tohelp to improve understanding of embodiments of the present technology.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

The present technology may be described in terms of functional blockcomponents and various processing steps. Such functional blocks may berealized by any number of components configured to perform the specifiedfunctions and achieve the various results. For example, the presenttechnology may employ various types of materials and connection devicesfor manufacturing the swing training aid. In addition, the presenttechnology may be practiced in conjunction with any number of physicalactivities, and the system described is merely one exemplary applicationfor the technology. Methods and apparatus for a baseball swing trainingaid according to various aspects of the present technology may operatein conjunction with any suitable materials such as leather, nylon,plastic, cotton, or other natural or synthetic materials.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2A, and 2B, in one embodiment, a baseball swingtraining aid 100 may generally comprise a glove body comprising a wristband 112, a thumb section 202, and a plurality of fingers 110 arrangedaround a central palm portion as is commonly found with standard battinggloves known in the art. A wrist strap 114 may be used to secure thewrist band 112 around a user's wrist during use. A securing strap 102may be coupled on a first end to the glove body proximate to the wristband 112 on a palm side of the glove. The securing strap 102 may belocated substantially opposite the wrist strap 114 along the wrist band112 such that the wrist strap 114 is on the backside (top) of the glovebody and the securing strap 102 is on the palm side of the glove body.For example, in one embodiment, the securing strap 102 may be coupled tothe palm portion of the glove body immediately adjacent to the wristband 112. In an alternative embodiment, the securing strap 102 may becoupled to the wrist band 112 proximate to an interface between the palmportion and the wrist band 112. A second end of the securing strap 102may be movable between a first position extending away from the palm ofthe glove (FIG. 2A) and up along a user's forearm and a second positionextending over the palm portion towards the fingers 110 of the glove(FIG. 2B).

The glove may be constructed of any suitable material such as leather,nylon, synthetic fabrics, stretchable materials, and the like. Forexample, in one embodiment, the thumb 202, fingers 110, and palm of theglove may comprise a treated leather configured to be soft and flexible.A backside of the glove body, facing opposite the palm, may comprise asynthetic stretchable material configured to be breathable and allow theglove to stretch and conform to a variety of hand sizes. The wristportion 112 may comprise another flexible material and be configured toprovide an adjustable wrist diameter due, at least in part, to the wriststrap 114. The wrist strap 114 may comprise any suitable type ofconnector such as a hook and loop fastener, wherein one side of the hookand loop fastener is positioned on outer facing surface of the wristsection 112 and the mating side of the hook and loop fastener is coupledto the underside of the wrist strap 114.

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 3A, and 3B, at least one surface of thebackside of the glove boy may comprise a connector configured to beselectively coupled to the securing strap 102. For example, the backsideof the glove body above the hand may comprise a first backside connector104. Additional backside connectors 106, 108 may be positioned on thebackside of one or more fingers 110. The backside connectors 104, 106,108 may comprise any suitable shape or size or be positioned along anysuitable portion of the backside of the glove body. The backsideconnectors 104, 106, 108 may comprise any suitable system or device forconnecting to the securing strap 102. For example, in one embodiment,the backside connectors 104, 106, 108 may comprise one half of a hookand loop fastener. In alternative embodiments, the backside connectors104, 106, 108 may comprise any other type of fasteners such as buttonsor a surface having a reusable adhesive material.

Referring now to FIG. 4-7 , an underside of the securing strap 102 thatfaces the same direction as the palm of the glove body when the securingstrap 102 is in the first position (FIG. 2A), may comprise a surface 402configured to engage and couple to the backside connectors 104, 106, 108when the training aid is being used. For example, the surface 402 maycomprise an opposite half of the hook and loop fastener material as thatused for the backside connectors 104, 106, 108. When the fingers 110 andthumb 202 are curled inwardly towards the palm portion to form a firstor grab a handle of a bat 600, the securing strap 102 may be wrappedover the top of the fingers 110 to allow the surface 402 of the securingstrap 102 to reach over the finger 110 to the backside of the glove bodyand be attached to the backside connectors 104, 106, 108 on the backsideof the glove body.

When the securing strap 102 is attached to the backside of the glovebody the user's hand is held in a closed or gripping position and thefingers cannot be extended to release the handle of the bat 600. Thesecuring strap 102 thereby forces the user to maintain a grip on the batas long as the securing strap 102 of the swing training aid 100 iscoupled to or otherwise attached to the backside connectors 104, 106,108.

In operation, a user first places the swing training aid 100 onwhichever of their left or right hand will be positioned higher on thehandle of the bat 600 when the user is swinging at pitched balls. Forexample, a right handed hitter would wear the swing training aid 100 ontheir right hand and a left handed hitter would wear the swing trainingaid 100 on their left hand. When the securing strap 102 is left in anunconnected first position (see FIG. 4 ), the user's fingers 110 areprovided complete freedom of movement. Once the user grabs the handle ofthe bat 600 with the hand wearing the swing training aid 100, thesecuring strap 102 may be wrapped over the user's fingers 110 and ontothe backside of the glove such that the surface 402 on the underside ofthe securing strap 102 comes into contact with at least one of thebackside connectors 104, 106, 108 (see FIGS. 5-7 ). Once the securingstrap 102 is connected to the backside of the glove body, the user isprevented from opening their hand and releasing the bat.

The result is that when a user swings at pitched balls, their top handcannot let go of the bat 600 when they swing at a ball. This forcedaction helps teach a user to keep hold of the bat 600 all the waythrough their swing rather than letting go of the bat 600 at some pointduring the swinging motion. For example, it is common to see a player'stop hand let go of the bat shortly after the bat crosses a centerportion of their body. This release causes the player to only have onehand still holing onto the bat at the completion and follow through ofthe swinging motion resulting in a loss of power.

The particular implementations shown and described are illustrative ofthe technology and its best mode and are not intended to otherwise limitthe scope of the present technology in any way. Indeed, for the sake ofbrevity, conventional manufacturing, connection, preparation, and otherfunctional aspects of the system may not be described in detail.Although embodiments of the present technology have been described withreference to a batting glove, the technology should not be viewed asbeing limited in that respect. As would be familiar with one of ordinaryskill in the art after becoming familiar with the teachings of thepresent technology, the subject matter could also be used with othertypes of handles used with rackets, golf clubs, and the like.

The description and figures are to be regarded in an illustrativemanner, rather than a restrictive one and all such modifications areintended to be included within the scope of the present technology.Accordingly, the scope of the technology should be determined by thegeneric embodiments described and their legal equivalents rather than bymerely the specific examples described above. For example, thecomponents and/or elements recited in any apparatus embodiment may beassembled or otherwise operationally configured in a variety ofpermutations to produce substantially the same result as the presenttechnology and are accordingly not limited to the specific configurationrecited in the specific examples.

As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” or any variationthereof, are intended to reference a non-exclusive inclusion, such thata process, method, article, composition or apparatus that comprises alist of elements does not include only those elements recited but mayalso include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to suchprocess, method, article, composition or apparatus. Other combinationsand/or modifications of the above-described structures, arrangements,applications, proportions, elements, materials or components used in thepractice of the present technology, in addition to those notspecifically recited, may be varied or otherwise particularly adapted tospecific environments, manufacturing specifications, design parametersor other operating requirements without departing from the generalprinciples of the same. Any terms of degree such as “substantially,”“about,” and “approximate” as used herein mean a reasonable amount ofdeviation of the modified term such that the end result is notsignificantly changed. For example, these terms can be construed asincluding a deviation of at least ±5% of the modified term if thisdeviation would not negate the meaning of the word it modifies.

The present technology has been described above with reference toexemplary embodiments. However, changes and modifications may be made tothe exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope of thepresent technology. These and other changes or modifications areintended to be included within the scope of the present technology, asexpressed in the following claims.

1. A training glove for hitting, comprising: a glove body, comprising: awrist band; a palm portion; a backside; a plurality of fingers extendingaway from the palm portion opposite the wrist band; and a thumb portion;a first backside connector disposed on a surface of the backside of theglove body; a securing strap coupled on a first end to the glove bodyproximate to the wrist band on a palm side of the glove, wherein: asecond end of the securing strap is movable between: a first positionextending away from the palm portion of the glove; and a second positionextending towards the fingers and over the palm portion; and thesecuring strap comprises a second connector configured to be coupled tothe first backside connector when the securing strap is in the secondposition and the plurality of fingers are curled inward towards the palmportion.
 2. A training glove according to claim 1, wherein the firstbackside connector is disposed along a central portion of the backside.3. A training glove according to claim 2, further comprising a secondbackside connector disposed on at least one of the plurality of fingers,wherein the securing strap is configured to also connect to the secondbackside connector when the securing strap is in the second position andthe plurality of fingers are curled inward towards the palm portion. 4.A training glove according to claim 1, wherein: the first backsideconnector comprises a hook and loop fastener; and the second connectorcomprises a mating hook and loop fastener.
 5. A training glove accordingto claim 1, wherein the second connector is disposed along a surface ofthe securing strap facing in a same direction as the palm portion whenthe securing strap is in the first position.
 6. A training gloveaccording to claim 1, further comprising a wrist strap positioned on abackside of the wrist band opposite the securing strap.
 7. A trainingglove according to claim 1, wherein the securing strap is coupled to thepalm portion of the glove body immediately adjacent to the wrist band.8. A training glove according to claim 1, wherein the securing strap iscoupled to the wrist band proximate to an interface between the palmportion and the wrist band.
 9. A training glove for hitting, comprising:a glove body; a first backside connector disposed on a surface of abackside of the glove body; and a securing strap coupled at a first endto a wrist section on a palm side of the glove body, wherein thesecuring strap comprises a second connector configured to be coupled tothe first backside connector when the securing strap is in the secondposition and a plurality of fingers of the glove body are curled inwardtowards the palm side of the glove body.
 10. A training glove accordingto claim 9, wherein the first backside connector is disposed along acentral portion of the backside.
 11. A training glove according to claim10, further comprising a second backside connector disposed on at leastone of the plurality of fingers, wherein the securing strap isconfigured to also connect to the second backside connector when thesecuring strap is in the second position and the plurality of fingersare curled inward towards the palm side of the glove body.
 12. Atraining glove according to claim 9, wherein: the first backsideconnector comprises a hook and loop fastener; and the second connectorcomprises a mating hook and loop fastener.
 13. A training gloveaccording to claim 9, wherein a second end of the securing strap ismovable between: a first position extending away from a palm portion ofthe glove; and a second position extending towards the plurality offingers and over the palm portion.
 14. A training glove according toclaim 13, wherein the second connector is disposed along a surface ofthe securing strap facing in a same direction as the palm side of theglove body when the securing strap is in the first position.
 15. Atraining glove according to claim 9, wherein the securing strap iscoupled to the palm portion of the glove body immediately adjacent tothe wrist band.
 16. A training glove according to claim 9, wherein thesecuring strap is coupled to the wrist band proximate to an interfacebetween the palm portion and the wrist band.